Govt ministries establishing units to assess contractors’ performance

All Government ministries will soon have a unit tasked with assessing the performance of contractors across the various sectors. These units will be supported by a Contract Compliance Unit within the Legal Affairs Ministry to provide guidance and file legal proceedings where necessary.
This is according to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall SC. who disclosed that a Memorandum was issued to the Government Ministers on April 6, 2024, advising them to immediately establish the dedicated units.
“That unit is to dedicatedly monitor and evaluate the performance of contractors who are executing contracts in those ministries. Once that unit observes unjustifiable delays and breaches of contracts, [it will] activate the clauses of the contract to notify the contractors of the delay, clauses dealing with performance bonds and termination, etc,” he explained. Further, the units will look at the quality of works being completed by the respective contractors.
This move follows strict orders by President Dr Irfaan Ali that penalties outlined in a number of government contracts be enforced for companies that continue to default on their contractual obligations. The president’s comment was made at a meeting with met with engineers and project managers from the Public Works and Housing ministries to discuss the status of major infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile the attorney general cautioned contractors to ensure that they execute their contracts diligently and deliver projects that cannot be deemed substandard.
He noted that this move by the Government is a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to move condignly against contractors who are negligent in the discharge of their duties.